Articles By Ralph Martin

Called to Holiness (Part II of II) In part I, we examined what the universal call to holiness means, generally speaking. In today’s post, we will look at what Saint John Paul II specifically says about the call to holiness, training in holiness and why this turn to holiness of life and depth in prayer

Called to Holliness (Part I of II) Jesus summed up His teaching in a startling and unambiguous call to His followers: “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:48). Perfect in purity of heart, perfect in compassion and love, perfect in obedience, perfect in conformity to the will of the

Saint Mother Teresa’s “Dark Night” (Part II of II) In part I, we discussed what [Saint] Mother Teresa’s dark night meant for her and what it means for us, the depth of her holiness, and how her dark night was different than what St. John of Cross describes. Today we will talk about her spiritual

Saint Mother Teresa’s “Dark Night” (Part I of II) What did it mean for her? What does it mean for us? Even though Mother Teresa’s experience of spiritual “darkness” has been known for several years, the full publication of her private letters in Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light–The Private Writings of the “Saint of

The Lost Sense of Sin: Filling in Catechetical Gaps with the Wisdom of the Saints (II/II) In Part I, we looked at how gaps in catechetical instruction have led to deficiencies in the way we understand our faith, how we can learn from the Doctors of the Church, specifically what St. Teresa of Avila teaches

The Faith Understood Anyone familiar with Catholics United for the Faith (CU F) knows the valuable work it has done in analyzing catechetical texts. For many years, CU F was a voice “crying out in the wilderness.” Its work of prophetic witness and careful analysis was vindicated when the U.S. bishops’ committee set up to

Editors’ Note: We are grateful to have one of the Church’s brightest lights join us at Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction. Ralph, in his book, The Fulfillment of All Desire has provided a treasure of inestimable worth to those who hunger to deepen their relationship with the Lord. Ralph Martin is the president of Renewal Ministries,